Feb. 25, 2011
Big Ten Women's Championship Central at Purdue
Big Ten Men's Championship Central at Illinois
Big Ten Moments
Brooklyne Ridder and Hanif Johnson
Blake Eaton and Doris AnyanwuRyan Foster and Jocelyn Witmer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion track and field program will split its men's and women's squads this weekend, traveling to the Big Ten Men's Indoor Championships at the University of Illinois, and the Big Ten Women's Indoor Championships at Purdue University. The Nittany Lion men are currently ranked 10th in the country according to the latest United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) rankings, while the Penn State women are the defending Big Ten Indoor Champions, after capturing last year's Big Ten "Triple Crown" with wins in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field. Competition is slated for Saturday and Sunday, February 26-27.
This video clip is the fourth in a series of four "Big Ten Moments," in which selected men's and women's team members will recall their most memorable moment from throughout their careers. Today's video features Director and Head Coach of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan and senior sprint sensation Shavon Greaves (Lakewood, N.J.). Log on to www.GoPSUsports.com throughout the week for more "Big Ten Moments" from Nittany Lion track and field.
Sullivan is in her 12th year at the helm of the Nittany Lion women's track and field/cross country teams, and her fifth go-around as Director of both the men's and women's programs. Since her arrival in Happy Valley, Sullivan has led the Nittany Lions to a total of six Big Ten team titles, including four of the last five championships, as well as the 2009-10 Big Ten "Triple Crown," earning wins in cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Under Sullivan's watch, the Nittany Lions have impressed in conference competition, with Penn State athletes earning 62 Big Ten individual titles, 13 Big Ten relay crowns, and eight conference championship records. Nationally, Sullivan has overseen 109 NCAA All-America performances since 1999.
Greaves has been one of the Nittany Lions' most successful athletes at the conference level in program history, as the senior has already earned a total of 12 Big Ten titles, including eight individually. Greaves has been unstoppable in the sprints over the past two years, doubling up with gold-medal finishes in the 60- and 200-meters at both the 2009 and 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships. The top seed in both events in 2011, Greaves could become the first athlete to be a three-time champion in either event in women's conference history. The senior has also been one of the nation's most consistent sprinters on the NCAA scene, posting seven All-America finishes over her first three years as a Nittany Lion.